Bottle rack



Oct. 10, 1961 o. w. HILDEBRAND BOTTLE RACK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 25, 1960 FIG! INVENTOR.

OLIVER W. HILDEBBAND BY @aJfk w. flu.

ATTORNEY Oct. 10, 1961 o. w. HILDEBRAND 3,003,644

BOTTLE RACK Filed July 25, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

OLIVER W. HI LDEBRAND ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,003,644 BOTILE RACK Oliver W. Hildebrand, Jennings, Mo., assignor to Wirecraft Manufacturing Company, St.-Lonis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Filed July 25, 1960, Ser. No. 45,107

SClaims. (Cl. 211-7 4) This invention relates in general to article containers and, more particularly, to a bottle rack adapted for collapsing during disuse.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a bottle rack which incorporates novel means for preventing bottles received therein from inadvertent displacement with resultant breakage or loss.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a bottle rack adapted for collapsing during periods of disuse so that the same may be condensed into a relatively fiat, compact unit requiring minimum storage space; and which may be easily operated for movement into and from operative and collapsed conditions.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bottle rack which is of sturdy, light-weight construction, being durable and reliable in usage; which may be most economically manufactured; and which may be adapted for either support directly upon a wall surface, such as the side of a soft drink vending machine, or upon an independent easel or other type support. Other objects and details of the invention will be apparent from the following description, when read in connection with the accompanying drawings (two sheets) wherein-'- FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a bottle rack constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention showing the same in operative position.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the rack in operative condition and showing the same in phantom lines in collapsed condition.

FIGURE 3 is a top view.

FIGURE 4 is a horizontal transverse section taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a vertical side view taken along the line 55 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary enlarged elevational view of a mounting bracket for the rack.

Referring now by reference characters to the drawings which illustrate the preferred embodiment of the present invention, A generally designates a bottle rack comprised of a front or movable section 1 and a back or stationary section 2, each of which is preferably of rectangular configuration having a frame 3, 4, respectively, fabricated of suitable rod stock with a plurality of vertically spaced apart cross wires 5, 6, respectively, and a plurality of horizontally spaced-apart longitudinal wires 7, 8, respectively; said wires 5, 7 and 6, 8 being mutually secured at their points of intersection and to the related frames 3, 4, as by welding. Each section 1, 2 is thus of relatively light weight and having an open, lattice-or grid-type character. The cross and longitudinal wires 5, 7 of front section 1 are so arranged as to present a plurality of quadilateral openings 9 dimensioned for reception of a conventional beverage bottle, as used for soft drinks, and the like, and indicated in phantom lines at b in FIGURE 2. The intersecting wires 6, 8 of back section 2 may be arranged in a similar manner as front section 1, together with a plurality of additional, closely spaced cross wires 6' for reinforcement as well as for support of brackets 10 having a bayonet slot 11 for receiving mounting screws 12, or the like, whereby rack A may be easily suspended on a wall surface, such as the side of a customary soft drink vending machine, or upon ice suitable mounting members (not shown) of an easel-type of support.

The said sections 1, 2 are disposed in planar-parallel relationship and are interengaged by a plurality of connecting arms 13, as located at the corners of said sections 1, 2 and intermediate the upper and lower ends thereof. Said connecting arms 13 are constituted of short lengths of rod stock looped, as at 13', at their opposite ends for disposition about the adjacent frame portions of said sections 1, 2 to permit relative rotative movement for purposes presently appearing. Also interconnecting front and back sections 1, 2 is a pair of side pivot arms 14, 14' made desirably of flat stock and each having openings 15 at their opposite ends for receiving hook-forming extensions 16 of the proximate cross wires 5, 6.

Thus, by means of connecting arms 13 and pivot arms 14, 14', front section 1 may be swung toward and away from back section 2, while being maintained in planar parallel relationship (see FIGURE 2) for movement into extended or operative position and into collapsed or inoperative state.

In order to prevent unrestricted relative movement of sections 1, 2 and to present same in mutually offset relation wherein front section 1 will be disposed upwardly slightly of back section 2, there are provided a pair of detents or restraining arms 17, 17' on either side of rack A, each being formed preferably of rod stock and having closed loops 18, 18 at their normally upper and lower ends respectively. The upper loop 18 of each restraining arm 17, 17 is engaged about the side portion of frame 4 of back section 2 and the adjacent portion of the associated pivot arm 14, 14, as the case may be; while the lower loop 18' of each pivot arm 17, 17 is loosely engaged about the side portion of frame 3 of front section 1 and beneath the jointure of the same with the adjacent cross wire 5 (see FIGURE 5) at a point downwardly of the connection of the related upper loop 18 to frame 4 so that restraining arms 17, 17' are normally disposed in outwardly and downwardly inclined attitude. It will be seen that restraining arms 17, 17' are so positioned with respect to front and back sections 1, 2 that the same are prevented from being swung into and through fully aligned relationship. With rack A in extended or operative position, the lower loops 18' will be brought into abutment against the under portion of the adjacent cross Wire 5 (FIGURE 5) so that further relatively downward movement of front section 1 is inhibited.

Thus, sections 1, 2, by means of connecting arms 13, pivot arms 14, 14' are freely and easily relatively movable into and from operative position and into and from inoperative or collapsed condition wherein rack A is reduced to a compact unit adapted for easy handling and transportability. When extended, rack A is quite sturdy and stable through gravity as well as through the weight of the bottles received therein.

Provided between front and back sections 1, 2, in planar parallel relationship therewith and of like dimensions thereto, is an intermediate or bottle-retaining section 20 having a frame 21 comprised of parallel vertical side members 22, 22' and horizontal top and bottom members 23, 23', respectively, fabricated preferably of rod stock. Said top and bottom members 23, 23' are fixed, as by welding, to the adjacent connecting arms 13 across which the same transversely extend, and said members 23, 23' are formed to present loops or eyelets 24 at their opposite ends through which the proximate end of the adjacent side member 22, 22' is hooked, as at 25, as for relative, rotative movement. Rigid at their ends upon side members 22, 22' is a plurality of vertically spaced apart cross wires 26 to which are secured, at the points of intersection, a series of horizontally spaced, longitudinal wires 27; said latter at their ends being bent for hook engagement upon the adjacent top or bottom member 23, 23'. Cross and longitudinal wires 26, 27 of frame 21 are so arranged as to delineate openings 28 of substantially like size as openings 9 of frame 3 for accommodation of bottles received in the latter. To integrate section 20 within rack A there are provided tie arms 29 for connecting said section 20 with sections 1, 2, which arms 29 are provided with eyelets 30 at their opposite ends for loose disposition about the cross wires of the various sections (FIGURESl and 3).

It will thus be seen that by its unique disposition upon top and bottom members 23, 23' intermediate section 20 will be moved correspondingly with section 1 as the same is swung into operative or inoperative position. Said section 20 by virtue of its disposition upon connecting arms 13 will be located with respect to section 1 so that its openings 28 will be aligned with corresponding openings 9 along generally downwardly and inwardly inclined axis, whereby bottles 17 disposed within aligned openings 9, 28 will be presented with their major axes at an inclination to the horizontal as may be seen in FIGURE 2. Thus, bottles b by such disposition will be secure within rack A and will furthermore be prevented from inadvertent displacement from said rack by operation of intermediate section 20. Said rack thus will engage the bottles within their middle zone and thus inhibit same from undesirable tilting about their longitudinal axes and thereby prevent bottles 11 from inadvertent slipping between the front and back sections 1, 2 with consequent breakage or loss, as has been incurred with racks heretofore utilized.

Therefore, in view of the foregoing, rack A comprises a most unique construction, which is highly durable, which may be easily collapsed; and which incorporates a 'bottle protecting section.

, It should be understood that changes and'modifications in the formation, construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of the bottle rack may be made and substitutedfor these herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An article-retaining rack comprising a back section, a front section, and an intermediate section, said sections being flat and in planar-parallel, mutual, ofi'set relationship, said front, intermediate'and back sections each having openings for alignment along downwardly, frontto-back inclined axes for reception and maintenance therein of articles ininclined relationship to the horizontal, swingable means interconnecting said front, back and intermediate sections for mutual relative movement toward and away from each other between rack-extended or article-receiving condition and collapsed or inoperative condition, and a pair of restraining arms interconnecting said front and back sections for maintaining the aforesaid sections in mutually ofiset relationship.

2. An article-retaining rack comprising a back section, a front section, and an intermediate section, said sections being flat and in planar parallel, mutual oflset relationship, said front, back, and intermediate sections each having openings for alignment along a downwardly, frontto-back inclined axis when said rack is in operative position for article reception and maintenance therein of such articles in inclined attitude to the horizontal, and swingable arms interconnecting said front and back sections at their upper and lower ends for mutual relative movement of said sections toward and away from each other between rack-extended or article-receiving condition and collapsed or inoperative condition, said intermediate section being engaged at its upper and lower ends to said swingable arms for movement therewith, and a pair of restraining arms connecting-said front and back sections on opposite sides for maintaining the aforesaid sections of the rack in mutually offset relationship in both extended and collapsed conditions.

3. An article-retaining rack comprising a back section, a front section, an intermediate section, each section having a frame and a series of perpendicular, longitudinal and cross Wires supported from said frame for defining article-receiving openings, said sections being in planar parallel, mutually ofiset relationship, with the upper end of said front section being disposed above the upper ends of said other sections and the upper end of said intermediate section being disposed above the back section and below the front section, the openings of said sections being aligned along a downwardly, front to back, inclined axis for receiving and maintaining therein articles in inclined relationship to the horizontal, swingable arms interconnecting said front and back sections at their up per and lower ends for mutual, relative movement between rack-extended and rack-collapsed condition, said intermediate section being supported from and engaged upon said swingable arms for movement therewith, said intermediate section being disposed more closely to the front section than the back section, and restraining arms interengaging said front and back sections for maintaining same and the intermediate section in mutual offset relationship, whether said rack is inextended or collapsed condition. i

, References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 253,081 7 McKensie' Ian. 31, 1882 1,071,670 7 Martin Aug. 26, 1913 1,095,429 Sokol May 5, 1914 1,281,318 Elmendorf Oct.15, 1918 2,271,941 Kemmitt Feb. 3, 1942 2,338,969 Robinson Jan. 11, 1944 2,428,454 Fowler Oct. 7, 1947 2,459,333 McKinley Ian. 18, 1949 

